Has anyone had success taking iron for hair loss if they were anemic? Mine is not thin but falls like crazy and is certainly less thick than I am used to, though it doesn't seem to be getting worse (not sure how this is possible at the rate it falls, it can't be growing THAT fast)

I was diagnosed as iron-deficient anemic. Has anyone successfully treated the anemia and the hair loss by taking iron supplements, or Floradix?

Says take iron, she checked and thyroid was fine, nothing else looked like it could be causing the hair loss and anemia was due to iron deficiency - I do bleed a lot with periods and not sure I can eat enough to catch up, if that makes sense. I feel OK, not breathless or tired like when Very Anemic - I have experience with that, and it's not the situation now, I am under what's perfect but not near death or anything, the hair falling is the only issue I am having. But I still don't know for sure that they are linked, doctor does not know either.

I am going to take extra iron, and will report here if hair falling decreases, and whether hemoglobin level is different, in a few months.

My hair was thinning but is now growing back; I am not sure if it is from taking iron or what. My iron is still on the low end but not as bad. I also had low D levels. It can take many months to a year so don't give up!

I was low on iron and also had a thyroid issue. So not sure which one helped but my hair is now thicker again. I was taking an iron prescription because it was so low but I also went on a natural thyroid medication.

After complaining of extreme hair loss to my doctor/dermatologist for some time now, I've been recently diagnosed through blood work that I have an extreme iron deficiency. I've been on supplements for about 1 month now, so it's hard to tell if that is the cause for my thinning hair.
I guess I won't know for another few months.

Says take iron, she checked and thyroid was fine, nothing else looked like it could be causing the hair loss and anemia was due to iron deficiency - I do bleed a lot with periods and not sure I can eat enough to catch up, if that makes sense. I feel OK, not breathless or tired like when Very Anemic - I have experience with that, and it's not the situation now, I am under what's perfect but not near death or anything, the hair falling is the only issue I am having. But I still don't know for sure that they are linked, doctor does not know either.

I am going to take extra iron, and will report here if hair falling decreases, and whether hemoglobin level is different, in a few months.

Originally Posted by Robin-in-FL

same for me. I have been told my low iron levels are due to my monthly period. It doesn't seem like this is something that will change so I have to deal with taking iron pills. Also, my Vitamin D levels were low but normal now. ( been on med) This is will also cause your hair to fall out.

Ladies, let's not give up. I think the most knowledgeable ladies out there are the curly head ones. We investigate, do the whole trial and error like no other kind. Our hair kind makes us unique and no one can change that. God only knows. AMEN

3b/C with nicer curls on the bottom!
Hair: naturally very dry and VERY porous
hair seems to be moody.
Does not seem to like oils
Does not like protein or too much?
Does not like rich products

So, I ask myself. What does it like? That is the question, and I'm on a mission.

I'm anemic on and off. The best supplement I found was "perfect iron" by sundown. They don't have the same side effects as the typical over the counter iron supplement.

Anemia will also affect your energy level and when severe enough, will raise your heart rate, cause heart palpitations and will just make you feel horrible.

When I was pregnant with my first, I was so anemic, my heart rate went up to 166 and stayed there until my iron levels got better. I was taking 3 iron pills a day and 2 children's flinstones vitamins. It took several weeks to get the levels back to normal.
Hopefully once your iron levels are back to normal, the hair will come back and quit thinning.

I do have experience with extreme scary anemia, because I postpartum hemorrhaged with 3 of my four daughters' births (the first 3, not the last one) but that was like an acute thing, I bedrested, ate a lot of greens and took the floradix and then didn't have periods for over a year each time 'cause I was nursing, so recovered well & quickly.

This is chronic and wearing on me even though the levels are not nearly as low as they were in those events. I think I am about 9 on that scale where you are supposed to be 11? Not 5 or anything crazy like with hemorrhage. But each month I eat well and take iron and then feel like I just bleed it all back out. Yuck.

I go back in early Nov and will ask for re-test.

I have been good about taking iron, either chelated actual IRON from health food store or Floradix, though it's been iron lately.

If it is still low I am going to ask for progesterone to see if I can push my periods farther apart.

The hair has not been falling as quickly lately - I switched to daily rinsing and styling and now only a few hairs come out, instead of the handful I was getting when doing hair every 3 days. I mean I know it would be only 1/3 of the amount but I'm pretty sure it's substantially less than that - like ten hairs instead of a hundred. But it remains thinner than I think it should be, and the hair elsewhere on my body too is thinner than I think is normal for me. Which isn't a cosmetic problem, obviously, but is still a sign that it's not back to normal.

Have you considered skipping your periods all together? If that's an option.
I have the Mirena IUD and haven't had a period since it was inserted. I have lupus and it's really helped since I used to flair horribly about my period.

I've dealt with anemia on and off since I was a little girl so I understand your struggle. Hope you find something that works for you.

I was avoiding hormones altogether 'cause BC pills whacked my blood pressure, and it's completely normal if I stay off them, but if the progesterone doesn't mess that up, yes I may ask her to switch the IUD to the Mirena one and hopefully get a break.

I have been anemic and have low ferritin (storage iron). Supplements help with the symptoms I had as a result of those.
If you're taking a basic OTC iron supplement, make sure you have some vitamin C in the form of citrus fruit or juice or a vitamin C pill. You cannot absorb most iron supplements very well without the vitamin C (ascorbic acid) to grab hold of (chelate) the iron and make it absorb-able.
Another option is to take a chelated form of iron, you can absorb these better and they don't cause nausea or bloating/constipation.

Also, iron and calcium compete with each other for absorption. Try to avoid having iron supplements with dairy products or calcium supplements (if you take them) or foods supplemented with calcium.
Good luck

Thank you IAGirl, I do know about absorption (from the acute events) so do remember to have fruit or something with C when taking iron, I have chelate 50mg-which looks like capsules filled with metal - and the Floradix Hierro & Yerbas (it's made from foods - this was the most effective in the acute anemia). And try to eat foods in a way that helps too, so fish & greens with lemon, clams, tomato sauce, always cook in iron skillet, etc.

Updating.
At the November visit, everything except "Ferritin" was now at low-end-of normal levels. Which seems healthy enough to me, I don't think that more is better once you are inside the window, too much iron is also bad for you. So I'm still supplementing but once a day or less to try to maintain right here and hopefully the Ferritin will build up once my body realizes there is enough in the blood and I'm eating enough.

Periods still too heavy and too frequent. T

Hair falls out less now though I'm not sure if that is because I'm doing the almost daily rinse-and-restyle and this extra manipulation helps circulation, or if it is the better iron levels, changed both things this year and the hair elsewhere (not on my head) doesn't seem to have come back to what I consider normal.

Ponytail is still the same size, so it hasn't actually thickened, or not all the way down to where it would be caught in the ponytail yet.

I was noticing a great deal of shedding last summer. Not sure of my iron levels, but I started taking iron out of fear...hair stopped shedding excessively after a few weeks. I can't be sure if it was directly related to the iron or not. I'll be monitoring the situation as we move through the year.

That's an interesting connection. I'm severely iron deficient. always have been. Just had blood tests done (again) and my iron is even worse than usual. My iron storage level is at a 2, and the dr. says the minimum for a "normal" person is 21. So I don't store iron either. Whatever that means, I'm not entirely clear about that, I'll have to ask for an explanation.

I lose a ton of hair every time I shower. I mean, a lot. I thought it was the medication I was on (I'm on a maitenance med that has a side effect of minor hair loss, although its listed as a rare side effect).

anyway, I'm back on iron supplements, so I'll have to see if I stop losing so much hair. I take iron in a liquid form, because regular supplements don't work for me, my body can't absorb them. The liquid has vitamin C and some other things in it, I think, and you can get it at the health food store. Health Works makes it.

I just had a follow-up with my doctor today about my iron deficiency anemia. Thankfully I haven't had any hair loss of any kind, but for a few seconds every few weeks I'll see double. I have other symptoms, but this one really worries me. The doc told me not to worry, that anemia symptoms vary and that it can be very hard on the body. I made the mistake of googling double vision and seeing all the other diseases that it may be a symptom of. Did any of you have neurological symptoms?

I just had a follow-up with my doctor today about my iron deficiency anemia. Thankfully I haven't had any hair loss of any kind, but for a few seconds every few weeks I'll see double. I have other symptoms, but this one really worries me. The doc told me not to worry, that anemia symptoms vary and that it can be very hard on the body. I made the mistake of googling double vision and seeing all the other diseases that it may be a symptom of. Did any of you have neurological symptoms?

Originally Posted by AmberWaves

How anemic? Like so bad you are breathless? When I had the hemmorhage events I lost enough blood that yes, I had some trouble with vision, but that was with dangerously low hemoglobin, like concentrate-on-staying-alive, not just a little low.

If you feel good except for the eyes, it seems like a really odd symptom.

I've had visual distubance before migraine, too. Which I guess is a nerurological condition, but pretty common. I don't know why the doctor would not want to look into the double vision, or would assume it was from the anemia....but it's probably safe to treat the anemia and see if your eyes work better, and if so assume it's fixed, I'm not a doctor and I'd think a doctor's advice was more likely to be good.

I just had a follow-up with my doctor today about my iron deficiency anemia. Thankfully I haven't had any hair loss of any kind, but for a few seconds every few weeks I'll see double. I have other symptoms, but this one really worries me. The doc told me not to worry, that anemia symptoms vary and that it can be very hard on the body. I made the mistake of googling double vision and seeing all the other diseases that it may be a symptom of. Did any of you have neurological symptoms?

Originally Posted by AmberWaves

How anemic? Like so bad you are breathless? When I had the hemmorhage events I lost enough blood that yes, I had some trouble with vision, but that was with dangerously low hemoglobin, like concentrate-on-staying-alive, not just a little low.

If you feel good except for the eyes, it seems like a really odd symptom.

I've had visual distubance before migraine, too. Which I guess is a nerurological condition, but pretty common. I don't know why the doctor would not want to look into the double vision, or would assume it was from the anemia....but it's probably safe to treat the anemia and see if your eyes work better, and if so assume it's fixed, I'm not a doctor and I'd think a doctor's advice was more likely to be good.

Originally Posted by Robin-in-FL

I have a ton of symptoms. I'm tired all the time, my skin looks pale and pasty (and I'm Black!!), this morning I was winded from simply taking a shower, I'm a migraine sufferer, but have been experiencing non-migraine type headaches. Sometimes I feel breathless. Some of my fingernails even seem to be changing shape.

The double vision just seems so "freaky" to me. I give my mom a b12 shot every month b/c she'll be anemic if she goes too long without it. I've heard of b12 anemics having neurological symptoms b/c of the role of b12 in the body, but my b12 is normal. The doctor tells me that I don't experience double vision often enough or long enough for it to be a symptom of something more serious. I only have this symptom for a few secs every couple weeks. She did assured me that she has seen cases where patients with low iron have had blurred vision and tingling sensations in their hands and feet. Her advise to me, for now, is to not stress myself by worrying and to keep taking the iron pills so my iron, ferritin, etc. will build up and my RBC count will increase. My gyn prescribed bc pills so my periods won't be so heavy.

Come to think of it, my hair, while not shedding/thinning has been noticably drier. I'm now wondering if the low iron has anything to do with that.

I hope you recover quickly, too, Amber. That does sound like all the stuff I experienced with the Very Low Hemoglobin (it was wierd to have headaches that weren't migraines!) so hopefully when you take iron your body will absorb it quickly and you will feel better soon - I did recover quickly from the acute events. Eat lots of greens!